Aftershock
by AishaLeHerisson
Summary: Story wrote after watching Earthshock. Involves my character, Aisha, who is an 80 percent clone of the Tenth Doctor and can access memories stored in the TARDIS' databanks. First of 'Aftershock' Series. WARNING: Earthshock Spoilers.
1. Discovery

**This first bit of the story (in italics) is a memory from the Fifth Doctor's POV. Just so you know. ;)**

_Watching in horror from the safety of the TARDIS, they saw the freighter plunging towards the planet, their friend trapped aboard. The explosion ripped through the ship and all he could feel was shock, shock that it had happened. His young friend was… gone._

_It couldn't be true! It couldn't be…_

"Stop, stop, STOP!"

She stopped the memory clip and yanked out her cable, her eyes were wide and watery. As she tried to bite it back the Doctor came in.

"I told you there was a reason why I never let you access that memory." He said, "It still haunts me, and I didn't want you to see it."

"Why?" Aisha asked, her voice slightly bitter, "Because you didn't want to admit you made a mistake in not insisting he came?"

"I couldn't do anything!" the Doctor said, annoyed, "Adric was adamant that he stayed…"

"You could have tried to go back for him, to materialise in the freighter before it exploded!" Aisha said, standing

"I COULDN'T INTERFERE!" the Doctor said

"No, because that would have been against the laws of our people wouldn't it?" Aisha replied, sarcastically, "You never put any store by the other Time Lords' rules before! Why didn't you…? Oh forget it!"

She stormed off, slamming through the doors to go to her room…

* * *

A few hours later and everyone else, including the Doctor, were asleep. But Aisha lay awake, thinking about what she'd seen.

She got up and paced her room, muttering under her breath. She knew it wasn't the Doctor's fault really, but the burst of emotion that memory had given her had made her act unreasonably… She kicked a random piece of metal across the room, and it impacted loudly against the wall. It made her feel slightly better, but not much. She needed to talk… she decided to go look for a happier memory within the TARDIS banks of memory.

* * *

As she stepped into the console room she didn't notice anything strange for a moment. Then she saw him, a young boy standing in the console room, writing down calculations on a notepad in his hand. He kept glancing at the computer every now and then to check something, and make an alteration to his calculations. As she paused, unsure, suddenly he glanced up. He jumped.

"I… I didn't think anyone was going to be up at this time…" he said, his voice worried and echoy, "I was… just…"

"W-who?" Aisha stuttered

"I would have thought you'd know." He said, his voice suddenly knowing, "You do have some of the Doctor's memories after all."

"B-but… you…" Aisha couldn't believe it, "Adric?"

"Yes." He said, smiling

"But you… you…" Aisha said

"I know, I died." He said, "But like I told the Doctor, my home planet doesn't have anything for me. Travelling with him gave me some importance. So I stayed, in spirit."

He tapped the star on his chest and put down his notepad on the console.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the Doctor about this." He said, "Although it would undoubtly do some good for him to know we could still talk, my death made him more careful about his friends. And he doesn't believe in ghosts anyway."

"Neither do I." Aisha said, "But I'm seeing one."

Suddenly there was a movement from the corridor behind Aisha, she turned in alarm and looked back at the young spirit.

"The Doctor." She said

"I shall have to go." He said, "But if you need to talk, I wouldn't mind listening. It's been pretty lonely the past 200 or so years."

As he smiled again he disappeared, then the Doctor came up behind Aisha.

"What's going on?" he asked, confused

"I was just going to access some more memories. Happier ones." Aisha said, "Listen. I'm sorry about earlier. It wasn't your fault."

"No, I should have realised that you'd get a blast of raw emotion from that memory. I should have insisted you didn't watch it." the Doctor said, "Not given in like with Adric…"

"Let's not think of it." Aisha said, pulling out her cable from her cyberear, "Let's watch something fun."

"There's some god stuff with my third regeneration." The Doctor said, as Aisha plugged herself in, "I miss that scarf sometimes."

As she typed at the console Aisha noticed something that hadn't been there before. A golden star glittered in the darkness of the TARDIS ceiling. The Doctor saw it too and frowned.

"I've never seen that before." He said

"Really?" Aisha said, looking back at the console, "It's been there for ages…"


	2. New Freedom

**Same story. Adric's POV this time. Next time it'll continue the story, don't you worry.**

* * *

After the Doctor had gone to bed too he breathed a sigh of relief. Well, breathed wasn't the right word, not in his state. Whatever, he was glad tonight was one of those nights when the old Time Lord did sleep. He felt like doing what he did best, and now no one would interrupt him.

He floated down and materialised in the form that was the same as his body. Technically, being nothing more than soul and memory, he could choose any form he wanted, and indeed during the day he could be anything. An LED flashing on the console, a roundel covering, a chess piece. Anything that kept him hidden as he watched the Doctor go about his business with his companions. But on nights like these he wanted to be him, as he was before the accident. Maybe somewhere deep down he wanted the Doctor to get up and discover him, but he was terrified of what would be said. Would the Doctor be angry with him? Would he be over emotional? Too many questions, and he didn't want to know…

As he typed at the console, and copied down his calculations his mind went back to the incident he'd observed barely an hour ago. He'd been interested with the Doctor's 'daughter' since she'd come on board. She too had stowed away on the TARDIS, just as he had. He'd often observed her, her cyberear plugged into the computer, scanning old memories. But the Doctor had forbidden her for ages from watching that one particular memory, but the young Time Lady had shown an amazing amount of persistence. She'd watched it and it had been clear she'd been distressed, as she'd started up an argument with the Doctor, which had ended when she'd stomped off to her room. The Doctor had stood there in silence, which in this incarnation Adric had noted was rare. After pacing and a certain amount of speaking to himself (all going over whether it HAD been right to leave Adric on the freighter), the Doctor had gone to bed too. Adric felt for the Doctor, but he also felt for Aisha. Neither was quite sure how the argument was gong to be made up.

Adric sighed, shrugged and went back to his work. The TARDIS could read his thoughts, so he didn't need a physical form to do his calculations. But even these, his passion, his talent, was becoming tedious. Over 200 years he'd been stuck here, in the console room, scared to move in case someone saw him. He desperately wanted something to do, something different…

Then he had a feeling. Something was not right; he turned to the doorway. Standing there, minus her black hat and scarf was Aisha. Her mouth was open and her eyes confused. Adric jumped. He'd been discovered!

"I… I didn't think anyone was going to be up at this time…" he said, his voice worried and echoy, "I was… just…"

"W-who?" Aisha stuttered

"I would have thought you'd know." Adric grinned, deciding to make the most of this opportunity, "You do have some of the Doctor's memories after all."

"B-but… you…" Aisha looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes, "Adric?"

"Yes." He said, smiling, glad that she did know him

"But you… you…" Aisha said

"I know, I died." He said, then felt like explaining, "But like I told the Doctor, my home planet doesn't have anything for me. Travelling with him gave me some importance. So I stayed, in spirit."

He tapped his badge, and smiled back at the amazed girl. She smiled, back, getting used to seeing his spirit standing there. And Adric then knew, this is what he wanted. For someone else to know he was there, he'd been so lonely, just observing where he'd once participated. But still, he wasn't quite ready to let the Doctor see him again. He put down the notepad on the console.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the Doctor about this." He said, "Although it would undoubtly do some good for him to know we could still talk, my death made him more careful about his friends. And he doesn't believe in ghosts anyway."

Aisha lost all sign of worry as she answered, "Neither do I. But I'm seeing one."

Suddenly they heard a door open, Adric saw Aisha turn and look down the corridor behind her.

"The Doctor." She said

Adric sighed, the first time he'd been so happy in so long, and it was to be cut short. But… he could speak to her again. He'd use some room in the TARDIS, leave the console room. He'd hide there and come to see her sometimes. He'd like that, and he knew she would too.

"I shall have to go." He said, "But if you need to talk, I wouldn't mind listening. It's been pretty lonely the past 200 or so years."

Aisha nodded, to show she understood. Adric gave her one last grin then turned himself to steam and drifted up silently to the TARDIS ceiling. There he hung, watching as the Doctor came in and Aisha quickly not only explained why she was up but also apologised to him for earlier. As they sat down to watch some happier memory Adric was suddenly gripped with an impulse. He transformed himself to a golden star, just enough to tell Aisha he was there without letting the Doctor know. He watched as the Doctor and Aisha looked up and spotted him.

"I've never seen that before." He said

"Really?" Aisha said, looking back at the console, "It's been there for ages…"

* * *

**Somehow, I reckon I know where he'll end up hiding... Steve... lol.**


End file.
